NARRATIVE ENVIRONMENT SYSTEMS

Both projects follow a shared narrative structure:

• Field exploration introduces new discoveries
• The story transitions into a controlled environment
• Complex ideas are visualised and explained
• The narrative returns to exploration

Lift the Ice: Grounded Scientific Reality

Explores discoveries emerging from Earth’s frozen regions, from ancient history to future climate impact.

The environment reflects this grounded narrative. Inspired by Tadao Ando, using minimalist brutalist forms, controlled lighting, and strong spatial clarity to support focus and comprehension.

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Spacetime Capsule: Expansive Scientific Perspective

Explores scientific innovation and humanity’s place in the universe, from particle physics to cosmic exploration.

The environment adopts a more futuristic and expressive visual language, supporting scale, curiosity, and speculative thinking.

Visual development began with collaborative sessions with the director, breaking down complex scientific topics into clear, bite-sized narrative segments.

These ideas were translated into:

• Storyboard sequences (STB) to define narrative flow
• Keyframes to establish composition and visual tone
• Multiple design variations to explore different spatial and stylistic directions

This iterative process allowed rapid testing of how information could be structured within the environment before moving into production.

Early exploration focused on translating the director’s idea into a space that could act as a recurring narrative anchor.

For Lift the Ice, the brief called for a neutral, minimalist “studio”, a space that keeps focus while supporting visual storytelling. Instead of multiple rooms, we developed a single adaptable gallery that can shift in scale, mood, and expression depending on the topic.

A lot of iterations went into finding the right balance between clarity and immersion - keeping the space consistent, but flexible enough to transform when needed.

The design leans into a brutalist language, inspired by the weight and stillness of permafrost, with controlled overhead lighting suggesting an enclosed space lit by the Arctic sky.

For Spacetime Capsule, the same narrative framework is reinterpreted through a more expansive scientific lens.

The story spans from deep-sea exploration to cosmic discovery, focusing on human innovation and our place within a larger system. The environment reflects this shift - moving away from grounded architectural space toward a more expressive, futuristic setting that supports scale, curiosity, and exploration.

Key elements include a ceiling-mounted projection system and a floating ring device that “builds” visuals in mid-air, adding a sense of process and interaction. The overall spatial language draws inspiration from camera lenses, reinforcing ideas of observation, focus, and discovery.

Previsualisation was used to define spatial flow, camera movement, and pacing within each environment.

This ensured that:

• Transitions between content segments are clear
• Viewer attention is guided effectively
• Spatial continuity is maintained across sequences

Previz also served as a communication tool between creative and production teams.